Fire-Cupping Therapy

Through our experience in the Traditional Chinese Medicine clinics, Hannah and I have developed a particular interest in the use of fire-cupping therapy to treat a variety of ailments, including pain, colds, muscle tightness, sciatic nerve spasms, and digestive complaints.

The process of performing cupping therapy requires not only technical skills but also extensive knowledge of the philosophy behind TCM. If a patient has back pain, for example, the patient will lie prone on the treatment table with the skin on his or her back exposed. The Traditional Chinese Medicine physician or nurse will dip a cotton ball in alcohol and pick it up with metal tongs. The cotton ball is then lit on fire.

The healthcare practitioner will take a glass or bamboo cup and put the flaming cotton ball in the cup to remove the oxygen and then quickly place the cup on specific areas of the back, along the 5 meridians. Qi, the “energy of life”, flows through these meridians. The lack of oxygen in the cup creates a tight seal to the skin with negative pressure. This opens the meridians, allowing the Qi to flow more freely throughout the entire body.

The cup is left on the patient’s back for 10-20 minutes. During this time the patient may experience some minor discomfort. The theory behind cupping therapy is complex, but it was explained to us simply that the “toxins” and “disease” are drawn out from the back through this process. When the cups are removed, reddish circles are present where the cups were. The colors range from light red to dark purple, depending on how much toxin was in the body. A darker color indicates more toxins as evidenced by blood stagnation. The warmth of the cups and the effects of the suctioning increase the flow of blood and lymph, and also stimulate nerves and muscles. This has very positive effects on the patient’s immune system.

The colored circles resemble bruises, and may remain on the skin for a few hours, or up to several weeks depending on the circumstance. Walking on the streets of Wuhan, you may occasionally notice a person with these darker circles on their necks, shoulders, or arms. The first few times I saw strangers with these circles, I had no idea what could have caused it, and immediately though it resembled some form of abuse. However, the circles were simply caused by cupping and this is a very culturally acceptable form of therapy here in China--natives wouldn’t think twice of seeing the dark circles on strangers.

In America, some traditional Chinese therapies such as fire-cupping or Gua Sha are mistaken for signs of abuse by teachers, social workers, or healthcare workers. Having initially assumed the marks to be a sign of abuse myself, I can now understand how much confusion it could cause in the United States.
After studying cupping therapy for a few weeks, Hannah and I were permitted to both perform and receiving fire-cupping therapy. I had a cold at the time the cupping therapy was performed on me, so the TCM nurse informed me that there would be a high concentration of toxins in my lungs which would make the circles darker. She was right—my marks were a very dark shade of purple.

The marks left by cupping are very similar to that of a bruise—however unlike a bruise, there is no nerve or blood vessel damage done to the area, thus making it a non-harmful therapy when used appropriately.